I’ve always made lists of books that I want to read, but it’s only been relatively recently that I’ve managed to create an online list and keep it updated — not to mention keep it in one place.
Isn’t the Internet awesome? Not only does it allow me to easily keep track of books I want to get, it also gives me ways to find more books!
My list is always pretty long, so I just wanted to take a minute to talk more about some of the books about which I’m most excited.
In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise
“More than money, power, and even happiness, silence has become the most precious–and dwindling–commodity of our modern world.” It’s difficult to find silence these days, what with all the ipods, crowded stadiums, loud advertising, and even road and traffic noise. Author George Prochnik travels around the world learning about the importance of silence, and what we’re losing by blocking silence out.
Soulless
“Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she’s a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.” The first in the Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger, Soulless is set in Victorian London, and seems to involve the perfect combination of manners and mayhem.
I Was Told There’d be Cake
A collection of essays by Sloane Crosley about her life in New York. Not only does Crosley manage to provoke her first boss and sic the cops on her neighbor, she somehow finds the time to ruin an exhibit at the Natural History Museum. The essays “create a startlingly funny and revealing portrait of a complex and utterly recognizable character that’s aiming for the stars but hits the ceiling, and the inimitable city that has helped shape who she is.”
The Lost Hero
“Even before he got electrocuted, Jason was having a rotten day.” He wakes up on a bus, holding hands with a girl he’s never met, headed to a field trip with classmates he can’t remember. And then things get really weird. The Lost Hero is the first in The Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan. The series is a spin-off of his wildly popular Percy Jackson series (YA fiction). If you’re interested, you can check out the first chapters of the book online.
Firelight
“Imagine loving someone… so much that you would give up all you ever wanted for yourself.” A cross between Romeo and Juliet and Twilight, Sophie Jordan’s Firelight probably won’t win any feminist awards. But it involves dragons, so I’m going to give it a try. Is it too much to ask for as little teen angst as possible?
Super Sad True Love Story
Gary Shteyngart “creates a compelling reality in this tale about an illiterate America in the not-too-distant future.” The protagonist, Lenny, may be the only person in the world intelligent enough to write in a diary. Texting and slang has become the main form of communication in this world, and short attention spans have been taken to the extreme. Super Sad True Love Story is the first satire I’ll have read in awhile, and by all accounts it’s a real doozy.
So many books, so little time!
What books do you have in your TBR (To be Read) pile? Thinking of adding any of these to your list?
